Broadcast Video Expo 2014

It’s no surprise that Arri’s stand was busy showing off the Amira again. This is the most anticipated camera of the year and has got the TV market very excited. The ability to easily switch between EF, PL and B4 mounts on this camera, is for us is one of its most appealing attributes. The customizable shoulder mount to displace weight changes with the use of different lenses and the adjustable VF makes it easy to get the perfect fit for any user. unfortunately minimum recording is currently set at 100mbps, which may be disappointing for those only wanting 50mbs, but with stunning pictures from the already successful Alexa 2k chip it might be something that too good to resist. BVE was said to be the last outing of the prototype models we’ve been used to seeing, with improvements set to include; weight reduction from the body, improved VF and improved ergonomic top handle. Our next sighting of this camera should be the final product aimed for an April 2014 shipping date.

Atomos Ronin

We we’re very impressed by the Atomos Ronin; recorder, monitor and player. The Ronin offers one video input per unit via a HDSDI or HDMI input, coupled with 2xbalanced XLR’s for audio. It records at 10- bit 4.2.2 as either Apple Prores or Avid DNXHD. It has a very intuitive interface, accessible via the touch screen monitor. One of the best features is the use of the dual slot battery (NPF) mount on the back, despite being mains powered, should you lose power it instantly switches over to the batteries with no interruption to recording. You are also able to hot-swap the batteries, so no reason to stop recording. Hard drives are open source so you can purchase any drives you need and simply put them into the caddies which can be purchased in packs from Atomos. For those concerned with file corruption the Ronin comes with an automatic find and repair tool, that checks fixes and clips with faults, eiter at the point of realisation or can be set to do it later if the shoot must go on. Overall we we’re excited with the features and think this may become very popular.

Dedo Light – DLED2.0

We’ve been monitoring the development of dedolight’s LED lighting for some time and BVE was the perfect chance to get a closer look at the DLED 2.0. This light is equivalent to 75 watts and although being mains powered has the option to be battery operated on a single NPF battery. Each battery runs a lamp for approx. 1 hour, but is dependent on size of batteries, offering a versatile option for those not always filming near mains power or in remote locations. The unit has the assuring Dedolight build and has the bonus of being able to both flood and spot the lamp, as well as offering Bi colour and dimmable controls.

Gekko Karesslite 100

A very powerful and compact lamp by LED lighting experts Gekko. It’s half the size of the litepanel 1×1 but matches its output. Running on both; mains power or V-lok batteries, this light is very desirable to those needing to pack a powerful light but space being a premium compact.

LED lighting has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years. Gekko have played no small part in it’s development. Robust well designed kit has lost some ground to other more well used brand names, but we feel Gekko are a great British company with a fantastic product range and superb customer relations.

Goodbye 3D hello 4k!

If we were to go back a year or two the trend at BVE was very much awash with 3D, this year housed very little by comparison. The big talk among the industry this year was 4k, with the 4k theatre having queues of an hour plus to get into, interest is definitely high. Despite the technology seeming to be available to produce 4k content, take off may be led by broadcasters insisting on the transition to 4k and budgets to reflect, rather than pre-emptive jumps to the higher resolution. With Japan having pledged to 8k (bypassing 4k), time will tell which way European market will go.

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